Chapter 3: The Interrogation

WHERE here in the condo next to mine. Where the crime scene happened. We are sitting on the sofa here in the living room, waiting for the Inspector to come.

The victim’s name is Ambry Delos Santos, a member of the department of finance of a company – ZN Company. She is twenty-seven years old. She was found lying down on the floor beside her coffee table with her food and hot tea. There was no trace of blood or any trace of foot or fingerprint, not even a struggle of the victim at the scene. It looks like the suspect didn’t touch anything or even come into contact with the victim. The suspect is most likely a magician as much I wanted to think. Yet every magician has its own tricks. But in case there’s no a clean tricks that can’t be seen.

The autopsy states that the cause of the victim’s death is poison. Now the police are trying to determine where the poison came from. I overheard them discussing it earlier.

Aside from that, there are six primary suspects, including me and the cleaner. While four of them have a significant relationship with the victim, two of us have no connection.

The victim’s sister is Emerald Delos Santos, who is currently the secretary of the ZN company.

The boyfriend is Stephane Co, who holds the position of assistant at the ZN Company.

The best friend, Eileen Martinez, and the coworker or friend, Gael Gracia, are her colleague in her department.

And of course, me and the cleaner – I can’t remember her name – Ms. Mendoza. I didn’t hear it clearly because she spoke stutteringly.

Me and the cleaner remain quiet as the four of them are being interrogated.

“How can I harm my own sister, huh?” The sister if the victim raising its voice.

“Miss, calm down. We need your cooperation right now.”

“Cooperation, really? I already gave my statement.” She sarcastically said to the police. “How can I calm down right now? With what I found, huh?”

“How can the police find the murderer and the evidence if you’re not cooperating?” I interrupted.

“Who are you to—” I cut her off. “Can you just keep quiet and let the police do their thing? Tsk.” I irritably said to her.

“How dare you.” She almost hit me with her hand, but she was stopped by the victim’s best friend – Eileen.

“Calm down. The police will find who did this, okay.” She reassured her.

Then the Inspector arrived.

“Inspector Gomez.” The police greeted him.

“Hello, I’m Inspector Nicolas Gomez. I am in charge of Ambry’s case.” He introduced himself. “Let’s start the interrogation.”

“So the two of you don’t have a witness. Where were you when the murder happened?” He pointed at the two of us – me and the cleaner, Ms. Mendoza.

“I suggest you talk to the Manager of this building to hand over the CCTV footage.”

After a while, they checked the CCTV.

“The CCTV footage clears both of them. They didn’t even come near this condo.” He pointed at me and the cleaner. “I already spoke to her department head. She didn’t come to this floor.”

“What?” She shouted. “She is the most suspicious person here.”

I interrupted her. “You’re the most suspicious if you keep acting like that.”

“You—”

“Stop that, miss.” The Inspector scolded her.

She rolled her eyes at the Inspector.

“According to her Department Head, the victim instructed her to clean this floor around 5 PM. Is that correct?”

“Yes.” She replied, nodding reluctantly.

“Around 1 PM, she called the department. Did you notice anything?”

“When she called, I noticed that her voice was hoarse.” She answered.

Hoarse? Did she come from crying?

“Hoarse?” the Inspector asked. She nodded.

“The assumed time of death of the victim is between 2-3 PM. She went home at 12 noon.” Inspector Gomez continued.

“Did you see anything unusual?” He turned to me.

“None. I was asleep at that time. I didn’t even know that my neighbor came. Besides, I left the condo and went to the mall after waking up at 1 PM.” I replied.

He nodded. “Based on your statements, you just moved in this morning. And you didn’t notice anything in the morning except for the silence because she were at the company and no other persons is out the time you arrived.” I nodded in agreement.

“There are no witnesses to identify the culprit. The owners of the two condos were not present, and one owner just arrived today while the other condo is vacant.”

“Based on your statements, you were all at the office.” He pointed to the four suspects.

“Yes, me and Emerald. We attended a meeting at 12 PM until 2 PM in a restaurant. It lasted for 2 hours.” Stephane – the boyfriend – said. “Then we went back to the company.” Emerald – the sister – nodded in confirmation.

“I’m working at the company. When she said she wouldn’t be going to work this afternoon because she wasn’t feeling well, she wanted to go home.” Eileen – the best friend – explained.

“I was with her when she said she was feeling unwell. I just accompanied her to the entrance.” Gael – the friend or coworker – said. He had been quiet all this time not like the victim’s sister that so loud when arrived. Tsk.

“Did you know that she wasn’t feeling well?” The Inspector asked the boyfriend and the sister.

“I knew when she went to work in the morning. I told her that if she couldn’t handle it anymore, she could go home. But she said she was fine. Then I received a message at 12 PM that she was going home to her condo to rest. I thought she was just going to rest, but…” He sobbed after saying that.

“I’m aware. She’s a workaholic. Even though I told her to rest, she still went to the company. Same as him, I advised her that if she couldn’t handle it, she could go home and rest.”

So none of them had any interaction with the victim before the murder was committed. It conclude that the poison come from the thing that been here all the time.

“If the murderer had any interaction with the victim, it would easily reveal who the murderer is.” They looked at me. “The condominium is highly protected by CCTV. As I was observing, I noticed a small red thing on the plant.” I pointed to the flower plot beside the coffee table. “The victim had small CCTVs. If we can access those, we can easily see who the murderer is.”

“That reminds me of something.” We looked at Stephane as he spoke. “She felt that something was off when she was entering or leaving her condo. So, she installed small CCTVs to see if someone was following her.”

“Did she install CCTVs outside as well?” I asked.

“Yeah. But did the police see the CCTVs attached to the hallway?”

“Yes. The four of you came here. Three of you arrived first, and Gael arrived last.” Inspector Gomez said.

The four of them exchanged glances.

“Do you know where she connects the CCTVs?” I asked.

“In her phone.” He replied.

“We found a phone here, but there are two phones. One has a Galaxy case and the other has a black case.” The police officer said to us, while handling the two phones.

“My sister always had two phones. One for work and one for personal use.” Emerald said as she looked at the phones.

“Can you point out which phone is her personal phone?” I asked.

“That one with the Galaxy case.” She pointed to the phone with the Galaxy case.

“Sir, it has a password.” The officer informed Inspector Gomez.

“WHAT?” They both asked in unison.

“Why are the two of you reacting like that?”

Interesting.

“My sister/girlfriend didn’t have a password on her phone. I always checked her phone.” They said in unison.

Hmmmmm.

“Can I have the phone?” I asked the police officer.

“Sir?”

“Do you know how to open it?”

“I’ll get the laptop first.” I got up and had one of the officers follow me. Once I got my laptop, I returned to the living room.

“The phone doesn’t have any traces, only the victim’s fingerprints.” Inspector Gomez said before handing it to me. He also gave me plastic gloves.

The co-worker is acting a little strange. I silently observed the condo.

“If the murderer had any interaction with the victim, it would easily reveal who the murderer is,” they looked at me. “The condominium is highly protected by CCTV. As I was observing, I noticed a small red object on the plant.” I pointed to the flower plot beside the coffee table.

“The victim had small CCTVs. If we can access them, we can easily see who the murderer is.”

“That reminds me of something,” we looked at Stephane as he spoke. “She felt that something was off when she entered or left her condo. So, she installed small CCTVs to see if someone was following her.”

“Did she install any CCTV cameras outside?” I asked.

“Yeah. But did the police notice the CCTV cameras attached to the hallway?”

“Yes. The four of you came here. Three of you arrived first, and Gael arrived last,” Inspector Gomez said.

The four of them exchanged glances.

“Do you know where she connects the CCTVs?” I asked.

“In her phone,” he replied.

“We found a phone here, but there are two phones. One had a Galaxy case, and the other had a black case,” the police officer said to us while handling the two phones.

“My sister always has two phones: one for work and one for personal use,” Emerald said as she looked at the phones.

“Can you point out which phone is her personal phone?” I asked.

“That one with the Galaxy case,” she pointed to the phone with the Galaxy case.

“Sir, it has a password,” the officer informed Inspector Gomez.

“WHAT?” they both asked in unison.

“Why are the two of you reacting like that?”

Quite interesting.

“My sister/girlfriend doesn’t have a password on her phone. I always check her phone,” they said in unison.

Hmmmmm.

“Can I have the phone?” I asked the police officer.

“Sir?”

“Do you know how to unlock it?”

“I’ll get the laptop first.” I got up and had one of the officers follow me. Once I got my laptop, I returned to the living room.

“The phone doesn’t have any traces, only the victim’s fingerprint,” Inspector Gomez said before handing it to me. He also gave me plastic gloves.

“I don’t know,” Stephane said.

“When did you become official?”

“December 4, 2016.”

I entered it, but it was incorrect.

“It’s incorrect.”

“We only have 3 tries, and now we only have 2,” I said, seeing the warning sign on the phone.

“Meaning it won’t open if we don’t type it correctly?”

“Yes, she set it to allow only 3 tries. After that, the phone can’t be opened anymore unless we can hack it. That’s why I brought my laptop.”

“How about her birthday?”

“June 6, 1993,” the sister said.

“It’s wrong. Last one.”

“How about September 17, 2018?”

After typing it, the phone opened.

“It’s open.”

“Why September 17, 2018?” they asked Eileen.

“It’s the day she told me she wasn’t feeling well when she was going home. That someone was following her.”

“You didn’t know? You’re her sister and her boyfriend.” I looked at them seriously.

“No, it’s not like that.”

“I only knew that she wasn’t feeling well when she was alone, that someone was watching her. So she wanted me to always stay with her,” Emerald defended herself.

“Yeah, she always said she wanted one of us to be with her, but I don’t know when it started,” Stephane agreed.

“Why would she choose that to be her password?” the coworker asked.

Finally, you speak.

“We don’t know, but it might be connected to this murder scene,” I said meaningfully as I explored the apps to see where she connected the CCTV.

“Do you know where the app is?”

He looked at the phone while I was the one sliding the screen as he instructed.

“How come it’s not in her home?”

“Maybe she hid the app?” Eileen asked.

“Hide the app? Why?”

I made my way to see the hidden apps. Then I saw the CCTV app. And not only that, there were interesting files. I placed the phone on the table.

I connected it to my laptop using the connector to view it more clearly. I made them see it.

“Based on the CCTV, yesterday the four of you came here and had a chit-chat with her or bonded,” I said while watching the CCTV.

“The first to leave was her friend or coworker – Gael, right?” I looked at him.

“Yes.”

“Then her best friend – Eileen, and lastly her boyfriend – Stephane. And you, sleepover with her.” I pointed to Emerald.

There was nothing wrong that happened, but I found something suspicious.

I smirked. “I think I already know who the suspect is.”

“What?”

“But I still need some evidence.”

“Are you acting like a detective wannabe?” Gael asked sarcastically.

“Why? Is there something wrong? Am I someone who is hiding something?” I grinned while looking at the laptop.

“You’re not even licensed or a highly experienced detective.”

“T-t-there’s n-nothing w-wrong, I’m j-just h-helping h-him,” Ms. Mendoza stammered.

“Right. Why are you acting like you don’t want someone to know something?” I said in a joking manner.

“You’re already invading her privacy.”

“Mister, you know you are the one most suspicious right now,” I looked at him with a smirk. “I may be looking at her privacy, but it’s the only way to find the murderer.” I emphasized the word “murderer” as I looked at him.

“Why are you looking at him like that?” Mr. Gomez asked.

“Because he is the murderer,” I said in a sarcastic manner.

“What? How can you be sure it’s me?” he stammered.

“Why are you stuttering?” I jokingly asked him. “The reason why it’s you is because you’re the only one who always gives her a box of tea.”

“It doesn’t mean…” Before he could finish, I cut him off.

“Because you two were already friends before she met Stephane. She’s comfortable with you because of the years of friendship. Both of you have similarities – coffee and tea lovers. And you know that it’s her way to relieve stress or relax.”

“The poison is on the tea bags,” I pointed to the table. “That is the box of tea that he gave her yesterday. You can examine it, Inspector Gomez.”

“Get the box of tea and have it examined,” Inspector Gomez ordered the police officer. The officer retrieved the box and took it for examination.

We waited to know if I was right.

“Sir,” the officer called out to Inspector Gomez, then handed something to him.

“It’s true that the tea bags have poison. They contain bitter almonds.”

“How dare you!”

“You don’t have enough evidence to accuse me. It’s against the-“

“Sorry, but did I say I was finished?” I smirked at him as I saw him turn pale. “Do you know why she password-protected her phone with the date when she felt someone was stalking her? Why did her voice sound hoarse when she called?”

“It’s because she knew something was off. Based on the CCTV, she discovered something that disturbed her. She drank tea to relax herself from what she found, little did she know it was poisonous.”

“What did she find?”

“This,” I showed what I found in the hidden apps. The files contained videos and pictures showing that Gael had been stalking her.

“That’s-“

“Ahhh,” Emerald slapped him. “How dare you! You’ve been her friend for years,” she shouted at him.

“Is that-“

“Yeah, it was,” I cut off his words.

“I was going to propose to her today, but you murdered her,” he said and punched him. “How could you?”

“He loved her secretly until he became obsessed with her. But unfortunately, she didn’t love him and entered a relationship with someone else. He was jealous of you, and that jealousy drove him to do this.”

“It’s my first time meeting her. Why did she end up with you?” Tears streamed down his face. “I liked her from the beginning, but when she met you, her attention wasn’t on me anymore,” he pointed at Stephane.

“My sister had many dreams she wanted to fulfill. How can a lifeless body fulfill them?” The officer supported Emerald and prevented her from attacking the murderer.

“Why did you do that? She loved you as her friend. And you know what?” Eileen said. “I’m her best friend, but the way she looked at you, it was as if you were her best friend,” she sobbed.

Tsk. Drama.

“This case is closed. Your statement will be used against you. You’re under arrest,” the Inspector said. “Take him out,” he instructed once the suspect was handcuffed.

Jealousy. I sighed.

I grabbed my laptop and walked out, leaving the three of them crying over their loss.

“U-umm.”

Did I forget about the cleaner?

“What is it?” I looked at her.

“W-what about earlier-“

“I was just testing if you were going to do something suspicious, but you didn’t,” I replied.

I started walking again, and she followed.

“You’re not a regular cleaner, right?”

“H-how did you know?”

“I just know, based on your figure and your face.”

In my peripheral vision, I noticed her cheeks turning red. I shrugged off what I saw.

I’m right, her figure suggests she’s still a high schooler like me.

She quickly grabbed the cleaning cart that was left outside and hurried towards the elevator.

Did I say something wrong?

Sigh.

Maybe I’m just hungry?

I headed to my condo, forgetting about the task I needed to do.